


The Princess and the Maze

by Yuna_McHill



Series: The Princess and the Maze trilogy [1]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Book/movie blend, Certain artistic liberties, F/M, Gen, M/M, Only girl in the Glade, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2020-12-15 22:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21025397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuna_McHill/pseuds/Yuna_McHill
Summary: A normal day inside the Maze changes the boys' lives drastically when a girl suddenly appears in the Gladers' midst. Will the newcomer, the mysterious Stephanie, be able to crack the code of the Maze once and for all? And if so, what sacrifices will have to be made? What dark secrets will be revealed along the way? A Maze Runner fanfic.





	1. The arrival

** The Princess and the Maze: **

AN: Hello, fellow Gladers, Runners and those who want to become it! Welcome to the obligatory 'Girl in the Glade' story with hopefully little twists along the way! My stay in the Maze Runner fandom rabbit hole has been very extended and apparently, I have no intention to leave just yet (probably never…). So I’ve decided to try my shot at the OC Insert stories, which Maze Runner has plenty of. I’ll try my best to give this my personal twist and keep you on your feet. (Which you have to be anyway to escape from the Grievers, no?)

*looking up at Gally* What you saying? Oh, he says more work, less talk. Well, let's not disappoint him, shall we? Welcome to the Glade!

Yuna McHill

X-x-x-x-x-x-X

It was that time of the month again. Newt could feel it. A strange energy made the air in the Glade vibrate. Soon there would be another Greenie to show around and provide a shoulder to cry on for. Frypan was always grumbling that it was only yet another mouth to feed, but the blonde knew that secretly he was always curious to meet new faces. The newest Glader, Chuck, was grinning from ear to ear, hopping around the grounds and telling everyone that cared to listen how he was glad that he would soon not be called Greenbean anymore.

Their leader, Alby, was sitting in front of the Homestead, firmly watching the Box in the middle of their home, as if he too felt that the familiar alarm could go off at any moment now. Another Glader was speaking quietly with Alby, but stood up and left when he saw Newt coming towards him: Gally, the Keeper of the Builders. Alby helped his limping friend sit down beside him. “Is your leg bothering you again?”, he asked, worry tinging his voice. “No, it’s ok.”, Newt replied, moving his ankle in a circular motion. “I’ve just been on my feet for most of the day. Feels good to sit down, that’s all…” The sky was slowly turning into a pinkish hue, indicating that soon the evening would fall.

Alby smiled and nodded. “What did Gally want?”, the boy asked. His friend made a vague gesture and murmured: “You know him, dude. Always having something on his mind, something to… talk about. I have a feeling that the newbie will come up any day now. Resources are running short, so provisions ought to come up sooner rather than later.” “I’m getting that too. Well, here’s to hoping…”, Newt whispered, stifling a yawn. The warm air and the work had made him sleepy. But before he could become the laughing stock of the Glade, by having his head almost fall onto Alby’s shoulder, he was jerked awake by an alarm they knew all too well… The Box was coming up!

The two boys got to their feet and ran over to the elevator that was rapidly ascending. The Keepers and a few curious Gladers were already gathering around, including Chuck. They respectfully stepped to the side to make way for their leader and second-in-command. Then, with a last loud rattle, the Box halted. Alby opened the cage doors… and jerked back as if a snake had just shot out and bitten him. Newt bent over to have a look as well and gasped in surprise. Frypan whispered: “That’s impossible…”. Gally let out a quiet curse. Inside the cage, lying among their awaited supplies, was a girl.

END CHAPTER 1

**EN: And so ends the first chapter of the emotional, dangerous and adrenaline-filled adventure of your favourite Gladers and their new friend. Hoping to post Chapter 2 soon!**

**Until then, fellow Gladers and fanctionados!**

**Yuna McHill**


	2. Chapter 2: Stephanie

** The Princess and the Maze: Chapter 2 (Stephanie) **

AN: Welcome back, Gladers! I hope you’re ready and hungry for more, because describing Newt all day is probably what we all wish, but it’s not the point of the story. Chapter 1 was just the appetizer, but now the stone is rolling! Welcome Stephanie into this glorious mess that is the world of Maze Runner, everyone!

Happy reading for you all! And now, let’s not waste any more time and witness how Steph copes… in Chapter 2!

X-x-x-x-x-x-X

The girl slowly recovered from her stupor of the ride to the Glade. Groggily, she moved, tried to open her eyes, but she sank back, once again unconscious. Newt was the first one to react. After shaking off the initial shock, he jumped into the Box and pulled their newest arrival into a half-standing position, then he called out: “Minho! Give me a hand with her, would you?” The fair-haired boy corrected the girl’s position in his arms, resting her hip on one knee and supporting her head with his right hand. He looked up when someone landed gingerly beside him.

It was the Glader he had called Minho. Minho was a tall boy with Asian features and lightly bronzed skin. His raven hair was styled at the front, a habit of Minho’s since day one in the Glade. A blue short-sleeved shirt revealed his toned muscles. His movements reminded Newt of a panther, graceful but always on alert, a trait that he had to uphold as the Keeper of the Runners, in Newt’s own words ‘the strongest and the fastest of them all’. After muttering a short puzzled “Wow…”, Minho gathered the lifeless body in his arms and, using some crates as footholds, climbed back out, Alby’s friend following close behind.

The boys gently laid her down on the grass and took a good look at her. Judging by her hands, her face that was white from nausea was actually a light brown. Her dark hair was very long, falling down to her hips. The girl’s slim body was clothed in a wine-red dress, black leggings, white ankle-high socks and tennis shoes. Minho noticed a beautifully crafted necklace with a pendant shaped like an eight-pronged star. It was clearly very valuable. “Excuse me…”, Jeff interrupted their inspection. He had come over to them, wielding smelling salt. “That should reanimate her…”, the med-jack stated. The salt took effect at once. Their new companion’s eyes snapped open, revealing their greenish-blue colour.

“Rise and shine, Greenbean.”, Newt addressed her, trying to keep his voice low and gentle, so as not to scare her. She stared at them doe-eyed for about three seconds… then let out an ear-splitting scream before jumping up with surprising agility and racing up the tree behind her as if she were being chased by a thousand Grievers. The only noises heard for a few minutes was the rustling of the leaves, then the head and neck emerged from the treetop and they heard her astounded gasp through the ringing in their ears. The Gladers waited patiently for her to take everything in. They could understand. They had all been there before, marvelling at this strange place… “Where in the world am I?! What is this place and who are you people?!”, the girl shouted down, her voice a mix of curiosity and fear.

“Welcome to the Glade!”, Alby called back up, “I am Alby. The boys that woke you up are my second-in-command, Newt, and one of our medical experts, Jeff. These here are Gally and our cook, Frypan. This is Minho…” He took the time to introduce every Keeper separately and tried his best to come across as calm and reassuring, although he was slightly growing tired of his new Glader hiding in the tree like a scared squirrel. “You can come down now, really. We’re not going to hurt you or do anything. We just want to get to know you, that’s all. What is your name?”, Jeff tried to coax her down.

Once more, the girl’s head disappeared and leaves rustled for a few minutes, then she let herself fall to the ground. She stared at them, holding her head low and her body tense. Her fear was palpable. “I’m Stephanie. Nice to meet you. But why am I here? What is happening?”, she finally introduced herself. The questions revealed her hidden tears that she refused to show. Alby carefully stepped up to her and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder. “We’ve all been through the same klunk as you. Waking up in the Box, taking in the Glade for the first time… The point is, nobody here knows what is going on, but listen up. This is all we have and everyone gets by and contributes to our society by doing their part. Complaining and asking about the situation is useless, believe me. Nobody knows anything. We will let you rest today, but tomorrow your life as a Glader will officially begin.”, he explained to her, tone serious.

Stephanie looked at Alby with wide eyes, confused and intimidated, but then managed a silent nod. “Good…”, Alby grinned, “Chuck!” A young boy of apparently 12 years of age made his way toward them. The wind had tousled the mop of brown hair on his head and his pudgy cheeks were glowing apple-red with joy. “Take care of her, especially in the first few days. Got it, kiddo?”, the Glade leader ordered. “Come on, Stephanie! I’ll show you where you can chill out.”, Chuck smiled brightly and reached for her hand.

Surprisingly enough, the girl visibly relaxed as soon as Chuck’s fingers made contact with hers, as if the younger boy’s radiant energy was melting away her fears like wax. She turned her head and waved the boys goodbye. “See you tomorrow, I guess?”, Stephanie muttered, a nervous laugh tinging her voice. “Sleep well, I guess…”, Newt answered politely, while Minho and Jeff waved back. Gally gave her a court nod, as did Alby before calling for the Keepers to regroup in the Homestead and the rest of them to go to sleep. That was the last she saw of them for the day before she was pulled away by Chuck.

“I won’t explain anything big to you, Alby and Newt are going to take you around tomorrow. But we usually sleep in hammocks. Some tough guys sleep on the ground or in the trees, but I imagine that you want to be comfortable. I’m sure we can find a hammock for you. The nights here are never cold, but not warm enough to sleep without a blanket. I’m Chuck by the way. I came here with the Box a month ago, but I’m so glad they can’t call me Greenbean anymore. That’s the term for new Gladers like you. And…”, the little boy spewed out a stream of words, giddy with excitement. “Woah, woah, woah…”, Stephanie intervened, “Not so fast, little man. Chuck. I can barely wrap my head around things yet.” He blushed and contented himself grinning widely at her for the rest of the way.

By the time they had reached the sleeping huts, the sun had started to fully sink behind the horizon. After helping her new friend to set up her sleeping space, the girl curled up into the foetal position. For a few minutes, Stephanie just enjoyed the swinging of the hammock, but then she turned over to Chuck and quietly asked the boy: “Hey, why are we surrounded by those huge walls? What’s behind them?” Chuck yawned and muttered: “They all say it’s a maze…” “What?! We are inside a maze?”, the girl softly cried out, “I don’t understand. Why have you never tried to escape? I mean, every maze has an entrance.”

Passing a hand over his eyes, the young Glader told her: “Because the things out there… will kill us.” That sentence almost made the teenager lose every ounce of sleep she had felt and made her blood run cold. “Kill us?! What creatures could possibly be out there that want to _kill_ us?! What is going on??? Why…”, Stephanie whisper-shouted, panic making her voice shrill and her eyes wide as moons. “Hey!”, Chuck interrupted, “Snap out of it. It was stupid of me to tell you this right before sleep. Yes, whatever they tell us about those monsters is terrifying, but they can’t come inside the Glade, because…”

He stopped and listened to the heavy stone slabs of the entrance to the Maze sliding shut. “… the Glade protects us, you know? You don’t have to be afraid. And now sleep. You need it and tomorrow is a big day for you.”, the boy explained as serenely as he could and reached for his new sister’s hand the way he had done before. And just as before, the gesture seemed to calm her down. Her eyes slowly fluttering shut, she resumed her original position, her knees close to her chest, but with Chuck’s hand still clutched tightly in her own. “Chuck, I…”, she made one last attempt to talk, but all she heard back were snores. Rocking her body side to side, the newest Glader finally felt sleep claiming her.

END CHAPTER 2

**EN: And that wraps up Chapter 2, my Gladers! I’m trying to bring together the best of both book and movie, since I love them equally so much. From Chapter 3 onward, this will include a little more action. I hope I’m doing my babies justice.**

**Run on and see you soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Glade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Stephanie gets the tour around the Glade, Newt is a mama bear and the greenie prepares to become part of the Glade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey! Yes, fortunately, I'm alive, not yet dead, but life is a little glitch and university and *that virus* basically just want to make you become a cat and sleep all day... But yeah, I'm alive and back again. :))

Chapter 3: The Glade 

AN: Hello, fellow Gladers and followers! Glad to welcome you again into the world of Stephanie and our boys! I had some griever-ous (pun intended!) problems with my internet connection, but thankfully it’s all settled now. This chap is still more on the calmer side of things, but I promise that from Chapter 4 onwards, things are going to get interesting, especially in Chapter 5 *hint, hint*. I’m going to add my own little touches to how the Glade is constructed since those changes are going to be important in how Stephanie’s story develops.

As we recall, a new girl named Stephanie has come up with the Box. Everyone’s deeply confused, Steph is frightened and she’s made fast friends with Chuck. Now let’s not dawdle around and join the greenbean on the tour around the Glade, shall we?

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

It was early in the morning and most of the Gladers were still fast asleep when the tall figure stopped in front of Stephanie’s hammock. The girl was curled up, her dark hair spread around her. Her expression was serious. Her brow was furrowed, stormy thoughts seemed to swirl behind her eyelids. Stephanie’s lips seemed to quiver, but whether she was thinking of something painful or just felt cold, they couldn’t tell. Then the figure bent down to wake her.

Stephanie woke with a start when she felt a hand clamp down on her mouth, muffling the scream wanting to escape her lips. Still half groggy from sleep, she started to kick out at her attacker and tried to free herself from his grip until she heard his voice: “Hey, relax! It’s just me, greenbean!” It was one of the voices that had welcomed her yesterday into… Relaxing a little, the girl squinted into the dusk and recognized Alby, his dark complexion almost melting into the shadows around them. Finally remembering where she was, Stephanie let out a relieved sigh and pushed herself up on her elbows.

Confident that his newest Glader wouldn’t start screaming again, Alby removed his hand from her mouth. “Couldn’t you have been a little nicer? You scared me half to death there…”, Stephanie chuckled mildly. “Get up. It’s time for the obligatory tour around the Glade. Hurry, Newt is waiting for us. Remember him?”, Alby ordered in a friendly voice, but not accepting no for an answer. To thus avoid the older boy’s wrath, Stephanie sat up and swiftly untangled her hair with her fingers. After slipping into her shoes, she followed Alby out into the Glade.

Newt was waiting for them by the Box. “Sleeping Beauty finally woke up, eh?”, he chuckled. “You don’t look too awake yourself, dude.”, the girl grinned back, taking in his dishevelled hair, his tired face and the goosebumps on his exposed skin. The boy smiled. “We got ourselves a feisty lass, don’t we, Alby?”, Newt asked his friend. “It seems so.”, he answered, quietly, “Let’s go. The others will soon wake up. And no dumb questions allowed during the trip, is that clear, greenie?” Although she furrowed her brows in confusion, Stephanie gave him a thumbs up.

“Ok, Stephanie. Welcome to the Glade. I know it’s a lot to take in, but pay as close attention as you can. The sooner you get accustomed to everything, the better. We need every hand on deck around here. No one is allowed to slack off if we want to maintain our community.”, Alby’s second-in-command started explaining and made his way through the grass to the big wooden building to the North West of them. The girl approached it with a quiet fascination. It looked worn and windswept but gave off an air of protection and homeliness.

“This is the Homestead. It’s where some of us sleep, but it’s mostly used as a place of reunion and decision-making. There’s also an upper floor where the Gladers are quarantined when they get… extremely sick.”, Alby explained. Stephanie had the impression that he had wanted to say something else, but Newt had shot him a dark, warning look. “Ok, the Homestead for sleeping, gathering and quarantine for the especially sick.”, she quickly resumed. The boys grinned, satisfied, and continued their tour.

As they made their way to the Gardens, which Stephanie deduced were located in the North East section, she caught a glimpse of a dark room with a heavy padlock on its door at the back of the Homestead and the girl felt goosebumps on her skin. “Wha- I mean, that doesn’t look very inviting…”, Stephanie commented and quickly restated her phrase when she noticed that she had almost asked a question that would probably have sounded dumb. “Isn’t supposed to be.”, Alby grumbled, “That’s the Slammer, our jail for Gladers who did some klunk.” She nodded obediently and hurried along.

The Gardens were an extensive square area in the North East, where Stephanie saw rows of vegetables, fruits, corns and herbs being planted. She could also make out the silhouettes of a few sleeping Gladers. “The Gardens provide most of what we need. The Slicers provide the meat and the rest comes up with the Box. The water for the plants and the kitchen gets pumped from the ground, but there’s also an artificial lake in the forest where we get the water for the showers and laundry from. There’s also electricity, by the way.”, Newt lowered his voice as they walked through the rows of produce and slumbering boys. The girl recognized a spacious wooden building with tables and benches surrounding it as the kitchen, which was situated a few miles to the west of the Homestead. The showers Newt had mentioned were located east of it.

“Speaking of the Slicers, this is the Blood House.”, said Alby, approaching a sturdy barn in the South East of the Glade, “This is where we raise and… kill the animals… Shuck it.” But Stephanie had already jogged towards the barn’s occupants, greeting them gently. As she kneeled down to pet a young calf, Newt and Alby threw each other a half touched, half grim look. “That’s gonna be hard for her, huh, Alby? She doesn’t look at all like a Slicer to me.”, the blonde muttered quietly. “She may or may not be, but everyone has to go through this.”, his friend replied, “Rules of the Glade.”

Alby stepped towards his newest Glader and patted her on the back. “Alright, Steph. We’re not done here yet. You’ll come back later anyway. Let’s go, before the others wake up.”, he pressed her. The girl put down the chick she was holding reluctantly, but then quickly followed the boys to an impressive forest to the South West, which covered almost all of the area. “It’s absolutely impressive. Whoever designed the Glade must be a genius. The arrangement of everything we need…”, Stephanie mused aloud.

The dark-skinned leader stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around like an angry snake. He grabbed the girl by her dress and hissed: “Listen up, you little shank! Everything you see was made by US! Built with OUR own hands! The Creators may have stuck us in here, but the Glade is our work, our community! And I promise you, whoever expresses interests that may come to harm us as long as we are here, I will throw them to the Grievers with my own two hands! Have I made myself clear?!”

Stephanie was frozen in shock. Never had she seen someone blow up like that. She couldn’t even nod or utter a single word. Then she heard Newt’s calm voice: “Alby, that’s enough! She didn’t know any better. It’s her first shucking day here, give her a bloody break. If she speaks like this in a few weeks still, do whatever you want with her. But let her go. You’re hurting her.” The girl flashed him a terrified look. The boy had a tense, worried expression in his eyes, his skin was a little pale- quite the opposite of his serene voice. He lightly touched Alby’s arm but looked ready to tear his friend away from her if needed. After a few seconds, Alby released her with a growled “Fine!” and entered the forest.

The teenager felt tears coming to her eyes and she quickly brushed over her collar where the Glade’s leader had grabbed her, feeling for bruises. “Are you alright? He did not go easy on you…”, Newt asked, putting his hands around her shoulders with a gentle protective touch. A few quiet sobs escaped her as she stammered: “I’m… I’m so sorry! I had no idea that Alby would react this way! I just… I just thought it was awesome how the Glade is constructed, so strategic and how you can survive here as a group…” Newt sighed deeply: “Glad you see it this way. But the way it sounded was as if you were praising the shanks that put us there. Alby had no right to blow up like that, but the community is all we have. If mistrust and anarchy break out among us, we might as well go cuddling with the Grievers…”

“Grievers, Grievers… That’s all I hear about! What is a Griever? Why are they so important to you all?”, Stephanie exclaimed, irritated and desperate, “And yeah, I know, I asked a question. So, sue me…” Newt quickly raised an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden aggressiveness, but then sighed and told her as he gently pushed her into the forest: “Trust me, Steph. You’re going to discover that soon enough, promise. But come on now. We still have a few things to show you.” Stephanie nodded reluctantly, wiped her tears away and followed Newt’s lead.

“These are what we call the Deadheads. You see, in the years we’ve spent here already, not everyone made it…”, the blond explained, his accent thickening with memories. “Luckily, they’ve never been much, but it happened mostly to the ones who came first, who still had no idea about how to survive in the Glade, how everything works. It was mostly… the fear that got to them.”, he continued, “The desperation of never getting out again…” Newt suddenly tensed, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. Stephanie felt this change but didn’t dare to ask him what had caused it. The teenagers stopped in front of a little clearing, where Alby was already waiting for them.

Stephanie gasped. She was looking at a barely sunlit area, with wooden crosses and coffins partially protruding from the ground like deadly mushrooms. “The first few years were the hardest on us. That’s why the order we established here is so shucking important, greenie. So that we don’t lose any other of our Gladers ever again. To ignorance, arrogance or despair…”, Alby said gravely, looking at Stephanie directly, but also flashed Newt a quick dark look. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to sound like I don’t appreciate your work, I’m actually glad you have managed to build up such a stable community.”, she admitted, “So you really… This is actually a graveyard?”

“Why else would we name that place Deadheads? That’s everyone who has died here. Our latest loss was Stephen.”, Alby chuckled darkly and pointed to a cross to the slight left of Stephanie. It was a simple wooden cross, the name of the boy painted in white across the parallel beam. The girl wanted to say a little prayer, just when a sparkle caught her eye. It came from a grave to her right side. Curiously, Stephanie approached it to examine it closer- and instantly wished she hadn’t. The sparkle had come from a glass pane on top of a small grave, way smaller than the others. And as Stephanie peered through the dusty glass, she saw why: Inside was a nearly completely rotten body, the lower half missing…

“Let this half-shank be a warning to you all: You can’t escape through the Box Hole.”, she quietly read the inscription etched into the glass. “Yep, that’s right.”, Newt answered her unspoken question, “The Box you came up in has to lead somewhere. But this one shank paid the price for trying to find out. About ten feet in, he got sliced up by something invisible. No one ever attempted that stunt again…” Suddenly, the Deadheads seemed a little too dark, too small for the new Glader. “Uh… Surely there are still more things you got to show me.”, she pressed, nervously licking her lips. “Yeah, no one likes to hang around here for very long.”, Alby agreed and broke into a slight jog, Newt and Stephanie following close behind.

“You’ll have to go through being a Bagger though. They are in charge of taking care of everyone and everything that dies here. Usually, nothing happens, but Greenies need to try all the jobs here, that’s just the rules.”, the black teenager explained. “Oh no! Well, try to be kind and don’t die on me while I’m trying out!”, Stephanie half joked and the three laughed. A few minutes later after running south through the forest, they came across a lake, which Alby clarified was artificial and served as water for washing and showering and other necessities. The newcomer secretly wondered how that would turn out, but she didn’t dare ask. She figured it would come up soon enough.

After breaking through the woods and introducing Stephanie to the final building in the Glade, the medical unit where Jeff and Clint worked, they finished where they had started the tour, by the Box. “Thanks for the tour, guys. It’s fascinating that this space contains all that you need.”, the girl thanked them. “I leave her to you, Newt. You know the routine.”, the dark-skinned leader of the Glade simply told his second-in-command, “Welcome to the Glade, greenbean.” He gave Stephanie and Newt a curt nod and disappeared into the Homestead. “Ok, I have one last thing to show you…”, Newt turned to her, his brown eyes serious. Stephanie nodded curiously and followed the blond boy.

He led her to the West Wall, where the doors to the entrance of the Labyrinth were still firmly shut. However, Newt didn’t aim for the doors but instead stopped a little to the side. That part of the wall was covered in thick vines. “There we are.”, he murmured. “A wall. You wanted to show me a wall?”, the girl stated, an upcoming giggle making her throat vibrate. But Newt just grabbed the vines and pushed them to the side, revealing a small dusty window inside the stone. “No. There are three rules in the Glade. One, everyone does their part. Once you’re assigned to a job, you stick to it. No slackers. Two, never hurt another Glader. And three, the most important one.”, Newt explained, pausing for effect, “Don’t ever, EVER, go outside the Glade, unless you’re a Runner. I’m gonna show you why. Approach.”

Her curiosity awakened, Stephanie did as he said and peered through the window. At first, everything she could see was darkness. But after a few minutes had passed, a strange flickering light started to appear in the black, covering her and Newt’s faces with shimmering spots. “Patience, one is bound to come soon…”, the boy murmured. Just as Stephanie was about to ask what would come exactly, she saw it. She felt her breath leave her lungs in one swoop and her throat dried up as if she had swallowed the Sahara, her mouth fell open. The girl felt fire in her stomach at the same time that icy chills began to shake her. She wanted to scream, but no sound came. _What. Was. That?! _

It was a monster, slowly moving forward with whirring and clicking sounds. Its round shape was covered by slimy looking dark greyish flesh, giving it the appearance of an oversized bulbous slug. But that wasn’t even the most horrible thing about it. The creature was covered with a terrifying array of spikes, shears, rods and other torturous looking equipment. Suddenly, it seemed that the beast became aware of their presence through the window and its slothful behaviour changed from one second to another. It hissed in an almost human expression of anger… and accelerated its pace to throw its thick body against the pane of the window. The glass vibrated, but it held out the attack. The impact was so sudden that it sent Stephanie to the ground and she released the scream she was holding.

Whatever that thing was decided that its lunch was unreachable and slowly retreated back into the shadows, clicking and whirring. Newt, who was pale but hadn’t moved an inch during the entire encounter, covered the window with the vines again and looked down at her, his expression at the same time compassionate and serious. “Wha- what in damnation was that mo- monster?!”, Stephanie stammered, shaking, her blue eyes wide. “That, greenie, was a Griever. They are the reason why only the Runners go into the Labyrinth and the rest of us stay here. Runners are the best, the fastest, the cleverest of all of us. Runners have the best chances to survive out there and they need us to support them. So that one day we just might have an opportunity to actually find our way out of this shucking Maze…”, Newt explained, his eyes staring at the walls as if in a trance.

Before the newest Glader could ask why he was acting so strangely, he snapped out of it again and grinned at her, stretching out a hand to help Stephanie up. “But this isn’t important now, greenbean. What matters most to you right now is to find a place for you. You’re going to work with each Keeper, the head of each job in the Glade, and after that, we decide where we put you. I can’t wait to see what you’ll become. We still have like fifteen minutes before everyone wakes up, but then prepare. It’s not going to be easy…”, Newt told her. Stephanie nodded cautiously and followed the boy when he moved.

The Box was still there when they reached it, the last boxes getting heaved out of the elevator. A dark-haired boy was inside, scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Hey, Scott, can the newbie also get something?”, the blonde casually greeted him. “Sure. What do you want?”, Scott replied after a quick pause, “You see, the Creators send up stuff with the Box that we don’t have, every week. Greenies come up once a month. And they let us ask for things if they’re not unreasonable. Anything for you?” Stephanie didn’t have to think long. “I wish for a notebook and pen. That should be easy. I feel like it’s going to help me a lot. Yes, a notebook, please.” The boy smiled and wrote it on his list. “That should be all. The Box can go down again.”, he announced and put the piece of paper on the floor before climbing out and shutting the doors. After a moment, they could hear the elevator rattling down the shaft.

In the meantime, the Gladers had begun to stir. The sun was now a bright yellow ball in the sky and warmed their faces. From out of the Bloodhouse, a rooster was singing his song. Newt grinned at Stephanie and mumbled: “Now’s your time. Impress us.” The boy named Scott patted her on the shoulder and wished her good luck before disappearing in the washrooms. The girl tied back her hair with a leather band around her wrist and rolled up her sleeves. She was ready to become a Glader.

END CHAPTER 3

**EN: The baby is born, the cake is baked, the chapter is DONE! With my second to last trimester of university beginning and Pride Month (but especially uni), I was once again thoroughly unable to write as much and quickly as I wanted to. But Chapter 3 is here, an extra-long chapter. **

**Since Chapter 3 ends in sort of a cliffhanger, it’s going to be easier to transition quickly into Chapter 4, you surely won’t have to wait as long. In Chapter 4, we’ll finally see Stephanie become a full-fledged Glader and discover one of her dark secrets…**

**Thanks for being patient, I’ll try to write quickly.**

**Kisses and cake,**

**Yuna McHill**


	4. A health break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter, but an important decision I've decided to take for my own wellbeing...

Health break:  
My darlings... first hello. Second, I hope that you are doing as fine as possible during this unbearably horrible year and probably better than me. Third... I know many are waiting anxiously for my stories to continue, believe me, I do too... but I need to take a serious break, put everything on hold for a while.   
Thing is, I've been sort of ok during the first months of this Hell happening. But then I began to notice more and more that I've been slipping. It was getting really hard at university and my grades started struggling. I was barely reading as much as I wanted, not even talking about sitting down and writing, neither on my official projects nor on fanfiction. It's gotten worse when I had an expulsion looming over me and only by some kind of miracle could I pull myself together, get the grades I needed to save this. Then I got two courses done and over... but the third failed, which means technically I would be getting expelled. My awesome parents will do anything possible to keep me in this university, but after all that exam stress and through the roof anxiety, this totalled me of course. I'm really really bad as you might imagine, this is absolutely not what I needed. My spirit is somewhere at the bottom of Heck right now, I just want a dark room and chocolates. I hope to contact a therapist soon, as to not slide into something way uglier.  
So with all that, I believe I need to take a breath from all work, focus on trying to get a hold of my mind and my future before continuing anything else. That means probably much of social media and fanfiction too, since that can also become reason to stress.   
<span;>I'm so sorry I'm constantly letting you down and now I've let myself down too... but right now, I think this is the best decision. I really hope I can come back as soon as possible. Can't tell you though how long I will need to really piece myself together again, but time will tell.  
Once again, so sorry, but I thought you deserved to hear the reason why I'm so absent for so long and why I'll be testing your patience a little longer.   
Remember, my motto is 'Something will ALWAYS come' and it will, only my life is a little in shambles right now.  
Love you so much, darlings.  
Kisses and cake,  
Your Yuna McHill   
  



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